Thomas Forsyth, of New North-road, Middlesex, engineer, for
improvements in the manufacture of railway wheels. Sealed
15th April 6 months for inrolment.

Charles Green, patent brass tube manufacturer, and James New-
man, manufacturer, both of Birmingham, for improvements in
the manufacture of a part or parts of railway wheels. Sealed
15th April-6 months for inrolment.
Richard Madigan, of Haverstock Hill, Hampstead-road, Middlesex,
and John Coope Haddan, of 14, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Mid-
dlesex, civil engineers, for improvements in the manufacture of
wheels for railways. Sealed 15th Apr.-6 months for inrolment.
Selah Hilar, of New York, in the United States of America,
manufacturer, for improvements in the manufacture of stair-
rods. Sealed 15th April-6 months for inrolment.

David Davies, of Wigmore-street, Cavendish-square, Middlesex,
coach-maker, for certain improvements in the construction of
the heads of open and close carriages. Sealed 15th April--

6 months for inrolment.
Charles Attwood, of Wolsingham, Durham, Esq., for a certain
improvement or improvements in the manufacture of iron.
Sealed 18th April-6 months for inrolment.

John Britten, of Birmingham, machinist, for certain improve-
ments in heating, lighting, ventilating, and closing and securing
the doors of apartments; also in lighting and ventilating car-
riages; parts of which improvements are applicable to other
like purposes. Sealed 20th April-6 months for inrolment.
Matthew Cochran, of High-street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, North
Britain, manufacturer, for certain improvements in the pro-
duction of colored patterns or designs on warps of carpets,
velvets, or other textile materials; parts of which improve-
ments are also applicable to the production of colored patterns.
or designs on woven fabrics or other plain surfaces.
20th April- 6 months for inrolment.
Samuel Clegg, of Regent's-square, Middlesex, engineer, for im-
provements in gas-meters. Sealed 20th April-6 months for
inrolment.

Sealed

John Thang Harradine, of Holywell-cum-Needingworth, Huntingdonshire, farmer, for an improved mode of fitting certain girths and straps. Sealed 20th April-6 months for inrolment. Henry Gilbert, of St. Leonard's-on-Sea, Sussex, surgeon, for an improved mode or improved modes of operating in dental surgery; and improved apparatus or instruments to be used therein. Sealed 20th April-6 months for inrolment.

i

THE

LONDON JOURNA L,

AND

REPERTORY

OF

Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures.

CONJOINED SERIES.

No. CXCVIII.

RECENT PATENTS.

To GEORGE WITHERELL, of New York, in the United States of America, merchant, for an invention of improvements in manufacturing or working iron for various useful purposes; being a communication.-[Sealed 29th July, 1847.]

THIS invention of improvements in manufacturing or working iron, relates to an improved mode of producing wrought-iron in the shape or form of shafts, rods, bars, or plates; and is intended to be particularly applied to the manufacture of bar-iron, rails for railways, tyres for wheels, and to other purposes where great toughness is required. The ordinary method of making bar-iron consists in passing the iron, in a heated state, between rollers, or a series of rollers, until it is reduced in thickness to the required shape and dimensions; the effect of which operation is, to elongate all the fibres of the metal, and lay them straight and parallel. Although this arrangement of the fibres of the iron has been considered advantageous for various purposes,-such as where the rod or bar is to be subjected to a longitudinal strain, as in tension-rods,-yet it has been found highly objectionable when the iron has to undergo continual abrasion or percussion, as is the case in railroad iron; for, by the abrasion of the flanges of railway wheels against the rails, long fibres

VOL. XXXII.

2 0

or laminæ of iron are now frequently detached from the rail, in the shape of splinters.

The object of the present improvements is, as far as possible, to obviate this inconvenience, and render the iron more tough than that made in the ordinary manner. This toughness is produced by imparting a twist to the fibres of the iron bar or rod during the process of manufacture, so that the fibres may be laid in a spiral direction, instead of longitudinally or perfectly straight.

In Plate XIII., the machinery, whereby this spiral twisting is effected, is shewn in several views; fig. 1, represents, in side elevation, the machine or apparatus complete; fig. 2, is a plan view of the same, as seen from above; and fig. 3, is a longitudinal vertical section, taken through the machine in the line 1, 2, of fig. 2. a, a, a, is a foundation-plate or frame, to which the several parts of the apparatus or machine are bolted; b, b, are a pair of rollers, furnished with grooves, of any convenient shape, and mounted horizontally, in bearings, in the side standards c, c, which are firmly secured, by bolting or otherwise, to the foundation-plate a, a. These rollers b, b, are furnished on one end of their axles with a pair of toothed-wheels d, d, of equal pitch; which wheels, by gearing into each other, cause the rollers to revolve with equal speed. The axle of the under roller b, carries, at its opposite end, a large bevilled toothed-wheel e, which is driven by a bevilled-pinion f, on the end of the driving-shaft g, mounted in suitable bearings, and carrying, at its opposite end, a pulley or band-wheel, or a large spur-wheel, whereby it is driven, as seen at h, in the figures. The driving-shaft g, also carries another toothed wheel i, which gears into and drives a similar wheel j, on the hollow shaft k. This shaft k, carries, at its inner end, a forked-frame 1, 1, which rotates with the shaft, and is furnished with bearings or journals, suitable for receiving a second pair of grooved rollers m, m, the axles of which carry two pinions n, n, as shewn best in the side elevation, fig. 1. The two pinions n, n, and, consequently, the rollers m, m, are actuated by an endless screw, gearing into the pinions. This screw is mounted at the end of a short shaft or spindle o, which has its bearing in a journal attached to

the rotating frame 1, and carries, at its opposite end, a pinion P, in gear with a stationary toothed ring or wheel q. By means of bolts, or otherwise, this wheel or ring q, is attached to one of the standards which support the hollow shaft k; and through the centre of the fixed ring or wheel q, the shaft k, passes. The bar of iron to be drawn and twisted, is seen at r. When it has passed between the horizontal rollers b, b, it passes through the guide-piece or block s, and is laid hold of by the twisting-rollers m, m, which, after giving it the adequate amount of twist, deliver it along the inside of the hollow shaft k, from whence it is taken, at the opposite end, as seen in fig. 3.

From the foregoing description of the several parts of the machine or apparatus, it will be seen, that upon communicating motion to the driving-shaft g, either by means of a pulley or the toothed wheel h, all the working parts of the machine will be put in operation. The pair of heavy drawing-rollers b,b, will receive a slow rotary motion, by means of the pinion ƒ, and wheel e; and the hollow shaft k, is also made to rotate on its axis, by the spur-wheel i, gearing into and driving the wheel j. The forked frame 1, 1, being fixed to the hollow shaft k, will revolve therewith, and carry round the pair of rollers m, m, while they are rotating on their axes. When, therefore, these rollers have laid hold of the bar or rod of iron, they will give it a regular and uniform twist; and at the same time deliver it out of the machine. In some cases the friction of the iron bar itself, and the advancing motion. that is given to it, by the rotation of the heavy rollers b, b, will be sufficient to cause the twisting-rollers m, m, to deliver the iron bar out of the machine; but it will generally be found desirable to impart an independent and regular rotary motion to the axes of the rollers m, m, in order to assist them in delivering the iron bar; which motion is effected by the pinion p, being carried round the wheel q, by the rotation of the frame 1, and thereby receiving an independent rotary motion, which it communicates, through the screw on the shaft o, to the pinions n, of the rollers m.

The patentee, in conclusion, states that he does not intend to claim, as new, the making of iron rods or bars by means of 202